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Looking for a thinkpad for programming/development

Performance, hardware, software, general buying and gaming discussion..
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leonex14
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2019 12:00 am
Location: Toronto, Canada

Looking for a thinkpad for programming/development

#1 Post by leonex14 » Mon Oct 28, 2019 12:07 am

Hello everyone.

I am sorry or the long post but I want to give all the information about my requirements.


Introduction

Since Black Friday is around the corner, I want to buy a new laptop for myself. I am planning on spending ~1.5k on the laptop. I can spend a bit more if I get a real good value on the laptop.

I went and checked various models at BestBuy and other electronic stores. Although, the Zenbook, Envy, Spectre and others have cool builds, they don't seem to have good durability. Also, some of the keyboards were really bad. I am looking for a laptop which can last be atleast 4-5 years and give good performance.

I am planning to buy a thinkpad as they are very durable and offer some of the best keyboards in the market.

I have listed my requirements in the order of priority. I am aware that all of my requirements cannot be fulfilled. I am just looking for a laptop which covers most them


Requirements:

Primarily intended for programming
I am a full-stack developer and will be working on Ubuntu. I will mostly have a MySQL, MongoDB, Node.js server and a react development running in parallel.
I am also planning on running Android Studio in future.

Portable
I will be moving a lot and will be carrying the laptop in my backpack. Hence something less than 3lb/1.5kg will be greatly appreciated. I would like to own a 14' laptop.

Future-Proof
I intend to use this laptop for the next 5 years and will be buying a 3 year premier protection. Hence, I want something rugged and upgradable(especially the RAM).

Good Monitor
I will be coding in this laptop for the whole day and want something comfortable for the eyes. I do not want a touch-screen nor a 4k HDR glossy display.
I would like to know the difference between the full HD and the WQHD displays. Which one would be ideal for reading text and easy on the eyes(I prefer the matte/anti-glare).
Also, please note that I wont be buying any external monitor/keyboard for the next 1 year as I will be traveling a lot.

Good Keyboard
As I am a coder, I will be typing a lot and wold love to have a good quality keyboard. I hear the X1C have the best keyboards among the recent releases.

Good Thermals or a silent system
Winter gets cold here, and I would like to sit on my cosy bed and code in the night. Hence, I would like laptop which doesn't heat up much especially on the lower side. Ofcourse I wont be running any crazy programs while on the bed, just edit some HTML/CSS using sublime.

Battery
Anything which give ~4-5 hrs is enough for me. The laptop will mostly be plugged-in with the charger. Also, I can just buy a power bank if the need arises.

No Gaming
I don't intend on gaming and if I really want to start playing games, I will just buy an external graphic card. Hence, I don't need a dGPU.

Don't require great speakers
I will always use headphones. The onboard speakers are not really necessary/important.


Laptops considered:


X1 Carbon(7th gen)

+ Great portability

+ Good display options

- No upgradability (except the SSD)

X1 Carbon(6th gen)

+ Great portability

+ Good display options

+ Cheaper than the 7th gen

- No upgradability (except the SSD)

T480s

+ Good portablility

+ Good upgradability

- Terrible display

- Bad thermals

? Bad keyboard(read it in some review)

T480

+ OKish portability

+ Great upgradability

+ Good amount of ports (though I wont be using most of them)

Plastic underbody (not sure about the effect on thermals)

- Terrible display

- Bad thermals

T490

+ OKish portability

+ Good upgradability

+ Good amount of ports (though I wont be using most of them)

+ Better build quality than T490

- Good display

T490s

+ Good portability

+ No upgradability

+ Good amount of ports (though I wont be using most of them)

+ Better build quality than T490

- Good display

P43s

+ Exactly same as T490 with a Quadro card

+ ~$200-400 cheaper than X1 Carbon (7 gen)

- hard to find any good reviews

? professional workstation laptop

? not sure about the keyboard


Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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